Religious Abuse Recovery

Religious abuse impacts your heart and soul.

Religious or spiritual abuse strikes at the very heart of a person. It takes something considered holy, sacred, or exceptional and uses it to wound and control.

Unfortunately, there are several common forms of abuse. Sexually, physically, or emotionally abused by a religious leader such as a priest or a pastor can rob you of faith in those who are supposed to teach and support you.

Being rejected or shunned by a religious community or family for religious reasons can make one wonder about the meaning of forgiveness, love, and support from fellow believers. Excessive control or manipulation by religion, spiritual teachings, or religious leaders can make your faith seem irrelevant.

The oppressive teachings about purity or about being gay can have a lasting impact – causing one to hate or fear one’s body or sexuality. Some teachings can instill an excessive fear of eternal damnation or paranoia about sinning.

The patina of holiness can cover a lot of abuses.

How does religious or spiritual abuse work? Abuse itself is a destructive force on a person. When the dimension of spirituality or religion gets mixed into it, that destructive force gets amplified in various ways.

Abuse by her husband is devastating for a woman. This abuse becomes worse if she is told that she is to submit to her husband and learn to be more obedient to him. If she fails to obey, her husband has a right to correct her in this way, which is for her good. This can’t help but mess with a woman’s head.

Religious or spiritual abuse leaves you guilt-ridden, confused, full of doubt and shame, deeply conflicted, lost, and feeling abandoned by God and isolated from your religious community and family.

To make matters worse, if you come forward with an accusation of abuse, you are denounced, silenced, and told not to rock the boat or bring scandal. Fellow religious members are shocked by your accusations and blame you for even bringing it out into the open.

Recovery from religious abuse is possible.

Recovery takes a lot of soul-searching – no pun intended. Digging deep and unpacking all the layers of guilt, shame, hurt, anger, and fear is not a small task. In therapy, you must grapple with all kinds of uncertainty. Reclaiming (or discarding) your religious values, sense of the sacred, and faith in God takes courage. But you can do it, and I will help.

We will unpack the layers through trauma-informed care, meaning-centered therapy, EMDR, and cognitive approaches. What is valuable can be healed and restored, and what isn’t can be released.

Shame and guilt will fade. Your sense of rightness with the world will increase. Confidence and peace of mind will begin to become the norm. Uncertainty will become replaced by certainty.

To schedule a free 20-minute consultation, contact me.